The essence of the objection to municipal involved in communications is that public intervention will undermine the private sector due to the cost advantages uniquely available to governmental entities, thus creating a barrier to public entry. As we have shown, however, this objection fails in two ways: First, municipalities tend not to become involved in communications in markets characterized by effective competition; and second, where municipalities do become communications providers, private entry into the market tends to be stimulated rather than suppressed.
Join us on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT for the next Broadband US TV episode: Community Broadband – A Blessing or Curse?. Christopher Mitchell is on the panel of experts that will discuss community networks. Click thru to register for the webcast.
Slick Sam and Bandwidth on the Bayou
As promised a few weeks ago, Ellen Perlman has written a piece on the story behind the Lafayette, Louisiana publicly owned FTTH network. This might just be the best network available in the U.S. in terms of offering the fastest speeds at the more affordable prices and offering the most benefit to the community. The path was certainly not easy nor quick but they are now offering services.
The video below is a good example of how communities can respond to incumbents that prefer to advertise and lie rather than invest in networks. Fortunately the folks down in Louisiana didn't take Slick Sam lying down - they confronted him and are building a modern network to ensure Lafayette can flourish in the future. They no longer have to beg absentee-run networks for upgrades.
Video:
Link:
Lafayette Pro Fiber 
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